Android is the new smartphone operating system created by Google and the Open Handheld Alliance. Long rumored to be creating a “gphone,” Google instead has partnered with more than 30 major players in the cell phone industry to create an open-source, Linux-based smartphone platform.

Android will feature a full HTML browser and will be fully customizable. Both manufacturers creating new smartphones as well as consumers purchasing them should be able to create applications for the new Android platform.